《Reunion》


 Reunion (part 1)

    A brilliant orange light peaked over a vast mountain, spilling light on the land, and chasing the shadows away like a shepherd dog protecting its flock from the ever-present shadows of predators. There was forest before the mountain. The forest was lush and thick, climbing the slopes until the rock of the mountain would not let any tree take root. Before the forest, there was a meadow stretching out into an immense sea of wildflowers rolling over the hills as far as the eye could see. The vista was truly magnificent. Over the years, many painters had tried to interpret this landscape. Poets had tried to enshrine their loves with symbolism, using the beauty of this visage as their backdrop. But all their works of art and words of beauty have always left them searching for more significant ways to channel the muse of this spectacular nature. Yes, this vista was beautiful beyond compare.


    This spectacular view enthralled all who saw it for the first time. You could easily lose moments of your life in this landscape as you study the fields of flowers, the lush greens of the tree canopies, admire the peaks and the exposed rock of the mountain. But soon uncertainty will wind its way into your thoughts. There is no sound. The wind, one would expect to feel anywhere, was not present, not even a blade of grass or branch from the abundance of trees stir. Everything sat in perfect stillness. There were no animal calls or signs of life. In fact, nothing living could exist here naturally. This entire landscape was constructed in the Fade Realm, an area that exists between both dream state and reality.


    The Fade Realm is a painter¡¯s canvas with infinite colors, and the brush strokes one could utilize had no limits. It was a blank sheet of paper an author could write on, never able to reach the end of their story or run out of words to use. A person could create entire worlds with their imagination. No palace was too opulent, or you could use the Fade to recreate entire cities or locales you were familiar with, down to the scratches on the hardwood floors, though it would require you to have visited the room firsthand to transcribe properly into this world from your memory.


    There are two ways one could enter the Fade Realm, and both require the use of magic to achieve. A person could meditate themselves into a semi-unconscious state, creating the landscape in their mind while channeling their magic. Then one would manifest in the domain or room they imagined in a flash of flames. Being projected into the Fade limited the things one could do here, mostly meeting with others and interacting with conjured and non-conjured items. But the most significant advantage of being projected into the fade was the instant creation of objects. However, the objects created would be bound to the room or realm it was created in.


    The second way to enter the Fade Realm is harder to achieve. It requires the person to be a stronger wielder of magic to successfully crossover physically into the Fade using a doorway. Physically being in the Fade meant one could not create things from thought as with the projection method. However, you could interact with items created by someone projected in the Fade Realm. The greatest benefit to physically crossing over allowed one to fast travel since you could create a doorway in one part of the world and then jump into the room on the other side of the world. The caveat, at least one person had to have passed through or created the doorway to the location you were traveling to. It is even possible to share doorways, so long as the creator of the realm or room invited you, forming a link between all invited. The doorways in the Fade could only be used by the person who created it unless there was an established link. Nevertheless, if one is strong enough in magic, and with an exorbitant amount of time, one could find a way through a warded door.


    To use the Fade for travel is like navigating a never ending labyrinth of congested doorways leading to many destinations. The numerous doors led to places long forgotten, created by people who were no longer living. Many of the doors were safeguarded with magical wards, preventing trespassers from its use. Suppose an intruder tried to barge their way through a warded door. In that case, they could find themselves trapped in infinite copies of the room, or when they attempt to pass back through the door, they could be incinerated to ashes by flames, or any other foul devious end its creator could think of.


    One would think travel or bringing items into the Fade would be the biggest advantages, but the biggest advantage of being in the Fade physically was the amplification of one¡¯s magic and time manipualtion. Time flowed differently in the Fade. One day outside of the Fade could be as long as a normal day or just as easily a hundred years or longer, depending on how the creator of the realm or room wanted time to flow. If you wanted to study magic, that would take decades to learn, then step into the Fade and train in whatever you wanted to learn. To the rest of the world, you could have been gone for one minute or even a second. But to you, it could have been a decade of studying, so long as you could mentally withstand the solitude and provide for your sustenance.


    Miles away from the mountain, in the sea of unswaying flowers, a tall flame erupted, emitting no heat, and sparing the beautiful flowers around it. The flame was a sign someone was entering the Fade Realm through projection. The flamed died down as abruptly as it appeared, and a man was left standing there. His head was shaved, polished, apart from a black braided side knot held at the end in place by a leather strap. His skin was an exotic brown, his eyes were black with amber flecks peppered throughout his irises, and he wore a dark blue robe tied with a white cord. At the end of the sleeves, and at the bottom of the robe, there was golden trim. A moment after his arrival, the surrounding ground shifted from wildflowers to a stone floor, and a polished black-and-white marble table shaped like a crescent moon covered in ancient runes materialized. Five chairs appeared just as the table had a moment earlier. Four of the chairs were of equal size, while the fifth was larger. They were arranged around the crescent table with the larger chair centered amongst the four, indicating a more prominent position.


    The man looked at the table, and when he was satisfied, the flames surrounded him again as he exited the Fade Realm. Just as quick as he was gone, a plain-looking wooden door appeared, and the same man stepped through it. He physically entered the Fade Realm carrying an enormous book and a sword in a black scabbard. The only thing notable about the sword was the black polished stone attached to the hilt. He laid the book and sword on the table, walking back out through the door again, and when he returned, he was carrying a black glaive. The door shut, flicked, and then vanished. The war glaive was taller than him, solid black apart from silver and gold runes engraved along the blade and its shaft. It was called Witch Devil because of its master¡¯s proficiency at handling this weapon. Those who have seen him wield the glaive in the carnage of battle have described it as a bewitching experience while watching the devil hewn men as he danced around the battlefield. He walked over to the table, leaning the glaive on one of the five chairs, pausing momentarily to make sure the balance was right. Looking back at the book, he waved his right hand over it. Green mist tendrils leaked slowly from his fingertips, snaking their way towards the book before enveloping it in a cloud of emerald fog. The man took a deep breath and blew at the mist, causing it to dissipate, and the book was no longer there. Picking the sword up from the table, he opened his robe and hid it in the excess fabric.


    He was looking around at the world he created when a pillar of flame flared a few feet from him, and a beautiful woman with tanned caramel skin appeared behind another chair next to the one Witch Devil was leaning against. The dress she wore was cut in a way to tease a man¡¯s eye. Her dress was dark blue silk, and the neckline plunged daringly low. A silver chain with a cut green stone hung from her neck, nestling between her cleavage. Her hair was braided into a ponytail, with tiny golden chains weaved through it. Around the hem of her dress, flames seemed to dance around, casting embers upwards along the blue fabric before fading right at her bust line.


    ¡°Ah Lizbeth, I am glad you are here,¡± the man said as he pulled one of the smaller chairs out and sat down.


    ¡°Clyden, I told you I would come. The others, I cannot speak for,¡± Lizbeth said in a neutral tone while looking around at the landscape Clyden constructed in the Fade. A fifth chair? ¡°Why did you pick this setting and five chairs when there are only four of us?¡± she asked. She walked to the chair nearest Clyden, pushing Witch Devil towards him nonchalantly. Clyden quickly grabbed the haft, laying the weapon down on the floor next to him.


    Both Clyden and Lizbeth were Magi, two of the four eternal beings that walked the lands of Gawraith, their world. The magi possessed immeasurable magical powers. In ancient times, they were considered deities. Other times they just walked away from life and let the world take its natural course before blending back into the world. The magi watched empires fall and rise; the world was their playground. They were kings and queens, tyrannical usurpers, they were bitter rivals throughout their many lifetimes, and, at times, they have tried to kill each other. But when you can live eternally barring an unnatural death, people¡¯s mindsets can change. The Magi, over the course of their many lifetimes, laughed, cried, fought, destroyed, created empires, loved, made mistakes, and evolved. They did not even remember where they came from except for Lizbeth, who had an extraordinary memory. None of them knew why they were the only ones who had such unrestricted access to the magic in the world.


    ¡°This scenery is all I can vaguely remember of where I was raised,¡± Clyden said. He touched one of the chairs. ¡°As to the extra chair, I will tell you all once the others arrive.¡±


    ¡°Very well. I will wait,¡± Lizbeth said as she waved her hand, and the world shifted, ¡°But I prefer here.¡± They were no longer outside, but inside a building that seemed to have no ceiling.


    Clyden sighed as he was powerless to alter what Lizbeth had done since he was now physically in the Fade. All that remained of Clyden¡¯s creative efforts was the table and chairs. He looked around the room; there were thick white marble columns emitting light. The columns stretched up, their light even disappearing into the infinite blackness of the ceiling. There were rows of bookcases stretching as far as the eye could see. In the Fade Realm, the painter with the infinite brushstrokes of their imagination could create any setting or object so long as they knew the purpose of the object. You could even create living creatures, disappearing once their creator left the Fade. While inanimate objects would remain until someone deconstructed them.


    ¡°This seems like you, Lizbeth,¡± Clyden said, looking at the endless rows of books.


    ¡°Ah, you think so. This is my library. It is the only place I can keep all my books,¡± Lizbeth said, pointing at her massive collection. The only thing that really interested Lizbeth any longer was the collection of books and knowledge.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡°You have quite the collection,¡± Clyden was saying, but two flames flared up, and a man and woman appeared in unison. ¡°Ah, welcome Servan and Malve,¡± Clyden said to the new arrivals. Servan stood in a black robe with his hood pulled over his head, with his face veiled. Even with his face covered, Clyden knew the man was scowling at him. Malve was in a black dress; when compared to what Lizbeth wore, it was much more modest. Her hair was black, cut short, with the sides shaved off completely. ¡°I am glad you all are,¡± he began, but Malve raised her hand interrupting Clyden.


    ¡°We haven¡¯t met altogether for a century. Just get to the point, Clyden,¡± Malve said impatiently, claiming the chair furthest from Clyden.


    ¡°I agree with her,¡± Servan said, still veiled as he sat down, crossing his arms and sitting next to Malve, leaving only the larger chair empty. The other Magi studied the larger chair intently, wondering who the chair was for.


    Clyden stood up, the wooden chair legs scraping across the stone floor, and cleared his voice.


    ¡°Very well then,¡± Clyden said, waving his hand. Green tendrils of mist appeared surrounding his fingers and traveled to the middle of the half-moon table like fog rolling over the sea. The mist lingered just a second and then formed into a rectangular shape before solidifying into the book he brought in earlier. For a moment, the other three magi were struck with surprise. The book was thick and bounded in black leather. It had no decorative features, and even though the book was huge, its weight was next to nothing.


    ¡°A compendium? Where did you find it, Clyden?¡± Lizbeth asked excitedly, breaking the silence in the room.


    ¡°Where I found it is of no importance. It is the book¡¯s owner, whom it belonged to is what is truly important,¡± Clyden said, pushing the book over to Malve before Lizbeth could grab it. Clyden calculated this move out ahead of time. Magic left traces of residue, making it easy to trace back to the caster of the spell unless appropriately concealed. Clyden knew of all of them at the table that Malve had the greatest emotional connection to the owner of this book, and he would rely on those feelings. Malve would immediately fall in line, and she would become his ally in what needed to be done.


    Touching the book, Malve cast a delving spell on it, and her eyes winced momentarily. There was a fleeting moment of a smile before she frowned.


    ¡°It is his. It belonged to Varoosh,¡± Malve said, touching the compendium. For a moment, a hint of pain was in her voice. Malve opened the book, but the first page was blank. She turned to the next page, and it was blank as well. Malve opened the compendium to the middle, pursing her lips when she was greeted by another blank page. No matter the page Malve flipped to, the pages of the book were entirely blank. She closed the book, pulling it into an embrace. Varoosh, you never could do things the simple way. You had to seal it. Malve laid the book back on the table. Lizbeth motioned for Servan to hand her the compendium, and he slid the book over to her.


    Varoosh was once one of them, a powerful Magi. No, he was more like a brother, a friend, husband, and a King to them without even asking for the throne. He was the strongest of them all. Varoosh was the person who bonded them together, and he went missing almost 400 years ago while looking for another land, not a part of their world, Gawraith. The aftermath of the failed magical experiment left the remaining four magi in a coma for three hundred years in the Fade Realm.


    When they awoke, their world was changed; magic users were all but extinct and could do little more than parlor tricks. The animals who relied on magic, such as dragons, phoenixes, or sphinxes, became feral or known only as legends and were used in stories to scare children. New monsters roamed the lands. Things were very different when they awoke. Once they were family. Now, they were strangers to each other. Clyden often bothered them all in his obsessive quest to bring Varoosh back from wherever he accidentally vanished to. Clyden could not let Varoosh go, and his relentless search for Varoosh led to bitter feelings between him and his once close friends. Malve just avoided Clyden because it pained her to believe or hope Varoosh was alive still.


    ¡°As you all can see, the book is sealed and will not open. I do not think it would open for Varoosh even if he were here himself,¡± Clyden said, pointing at the book.


    ¡°You have a theory to open it,¡± Servan stated. Clyden always liked Servan¡¯s no-nonsense demeanor, always direct and straight to the point.


    ¡°The book is under a compound lock,¡± Lizbeth said, offering an answer first, inspecting the book.


    ¡°Exactly, what I garnered, but it took me much longer to come to that hypothesis, Lizbeth,¡± Clyden said.


    ¡°Knowing Varoosh, I would say it can only be open if all four of us were to agree to open it,¡± Lizbeth theorized aloud to herself, waving her hand at those gathered at the table in a circular motion. Lizbeth¡¯s mind was always the quicker of theirs, and clearly, she was the smartest one of them. Varoosh had once said, ¡®Lizbeth name should have been Knowledge.¡¯ She was by far the most versed in the arcane arts among them due to her gifted memory.


    ¡°Wait, you said it wouldn¡¯t open for Varoosh either,¡± Servan said, taking the book from Lizbeth. ¡°What are you after, Clyden?¡± Servan turned the book over in his hands, tracing his fingers along its leather bindings.


    Taking a deep breath, Clyden reflected on his words; this is the moment he had prepared for the last ten years. His voice was timid as he spoke. ¡°We can bring him back. I think the retrieval spell is in the compendium. I have tried for ten years to open the book. I have come up with new ways to unlock many things, trying to gain access to it. But this book will not open for me,¡± Clyden said, pointing at the book. Clyden stood up and loosened the fabric of his robe, pulling from it the ordinary-looking sword he had hidden earlier. The sword rasped against the metal portion of its scabbard as he drew it. The pommel of the sword had a mounted oval, black polished stone. He laid the sword down on the table along with its sheath.


    The three magi in the room gasped in shock as they recognized the sword clearly, even though none of them had seen it for over four hundred years.


    ¡°Bane,¡± Lizbeth said, surprised Clyden had it in his possession.


    ¡°It is going to take the five of us to bring him back,¡± Clyden said, laying the sword in the middle of the table between them all.


    ¡°Bane! Where did you find his sword?¡± Malve asked. She never, no, none of them ever thought they would see Varoosh¡¯s sword again. The day Varoosh vanished, he did not even have Bane with him.


    Bane looked as normal as a plain sword could present itself, but they all knew well the potential power this sword had. The sword itself appeared to be dormant because the runes typically engraved into a magus focal thaumaturgy were hidden. Each of the magi had their own focal thaumaturgies, items imbued with their magical essences.


    Magic was wild and hard to handle; it is like swimming up a tall waterfall trying to control it without the proper tools. Many practitioners drowned or burned out failing to do so. Though if one could learn to control it without the use of thaumaturgies, the magus would be even more powerful, but the risks were too high. A magus with a focal thaumaturgy had a path to walk on instead of drowning while trying to swim up an impossible waterfall. The magus¡¯ focal also allowed the wielder to channel more magic than they could safely handle. Clyden had his glaive, Lizbeth¡¯s was the green stone around her neck, Servan had an assortment of robes he liked to wear, and Malve¡¯s was unknown to any of them.


    Bane was deadly sharp, but two things made this weapon special. One was the ability for the weapon to morph into the needs of its master. Each of the magi at the table had witnessed Varoosh change the sword at a whim to whatever weapon Varoosh desired, and he wielded Bane with deadly precision in many of its forms. Only Clyden could beat Varoosh in a physical confrontation, but barely.


    The second and most important thing about Bane was the black polished stone, the Eye of Bane. The Eye was a stone with unique magical properties, and it was the only one in all Gawraith known to all of them, gifted to Varoosh from another Magus. The Eye of Bane acted as a magical capacitor, storing magic and the essence of the sword¡¯s master or other magi.


    Servan stood up, angry at the sight of the sword, and tossed the book on the table. ¡°Bring him back!¡± Servan said, his voice was heated as he slapped his left hand on the table. ¡°He abandoned us! Why should we bring him back? We slept for three hundred years because of what he did.¡±


    ¡°Servan, what he was doing was experimental. Varoosh was trying to find a place to banish Revlaman to. I do not think he would have gone forth with it if he knew it would send us to slumber for three centuries and take him from us,¡± Malve said, touching his hand. It was like watching a tornado vanish before it could make landfall as Servan¡¯s anger subsided.


    ¡°Anyways, it doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Servan said with a sigh, sitting back down. ¡°You said it would take five of us, and there are only four magi left. We won¡¯t ever know.¡±


    ¡°To answer your questions about where I found the sword,¡± Clyden said, picking up Bane by the blade and standing up. ¡°I found it in Loudas. It hung on the wall as decoration in the King¡¯s castle,¡± he told his story as he moved the sword hilt in front of Lizbeth. She reached out and touched the stone, her eyes widening with surprise. Clyden placed his right index finger over his mouth, imploring her to be silent, and continued with his story. ¡°Imagine my surprise when I saw it on the wall,¡± covering the short distance towards Servan¡¯s and Malve¡¯s end of the table. Servan touched the stone, and the same recognition Lizbeth experienced flashed in his eyes. Servan finally lowered his veil, and for just a brief moment, unrestrained hope was in his eyes. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for the Eye on the pommel, then I wouldn¡¯t have ever found it. The sword was gifted to me for service rendered for saving Prince Danyais from an assassin¡¯s poison,¡± he said, moving the sword hilt towards Malve now. She reached out tentatively with trembling fingers. ¡°If we were to,¡± he did not have time to finish his statement as Malve touched the stone.


    ¡°Infuse our essences also,¡± Malve said, finishing Clyden¡¯s sentence as a white light surrounded her as she touched the stone. The Eye of Bane glowed molten red in reaction to Malve¡¯s touch. Varoosh was there, his essence and life force were still imbued in the stone. She almost forgot how beautiful his essence was to her. This was the closest Malve had been to him in four centuries. It ached and shredded her heart to the core that she did not have a body to embrace. Tears welled up and traveled down her cheeks. ¡°He is alive!¡± she said in shock. The grief that has held her prisoner for the past hundred years since Malve woke up in the Fade fissured instantly. Hope began to seep through the cracks.


    The light around her dimmed a little, Malve grabbed the pommel of the sword with both hands, and Clyden held onto the blade with all the strength he could muster. Malve wore a look of desperate determination on her face. The light intensified around Malve, and the Eye of Bane went from molten red to white blue. Runes not visible before on the blade lit up, pulsating between red and white as they were engraved back onto the metal blade and handle. Malve forced more of her essence into the Eye of Bane. White light emitted from her eyes. When Malve opened her mouth to gasp for air, light spilled from her mouth. Malve could not hear any noise at all except for the roaring river in her head. Malve knew her magic was flowing into the Eye; she could feel the stone drinking in her essence greedily. The river was not loud enough. I don¡¯t care. I will give it all if it brings him back, more, I can give more! Malve screamed in her head even as her body felt like it would burn to ash. The disparity shattered, and hope washed over Malve.


    ¡°Stop her, Clyden!¡± Lizbeth yelled. She must have judge Clyden to slow in his actions, ¡°Servan, break the connection!¡±


    Servan stood up and dashed around Clyden, quickly grabbing Malve¡¯s right shoulder with his left hand while trying to reach for the sword¡¯s hilt with his other. His hand was repulsed by a magical field right when he was about to grab the sword. Servan turned his attention to Malve¡¯s hands clutching the stone and grabbed her wrists, trying to pull them away from the Eye of Bane. He somehow managed to weaken Malve¡¯s grip, or she lost the will to hold on, but her hands withdrew from the Eye of Bane, and the sword felled to the table. Malve swayed and fell into her chair, exhausted.


    ¡°Malve, are you OK?¡± Servan asked attentively.

 Reunion (part 2)

    It was a moment longer before Malve spoke, ¡°I am fine, help me to stand. I must finish the binding.¡± Servan looked as if he wanted to protest, but the look Malve showed them all quelled any meager protests they could manage. Glaring at Clyden, Servan took the sword from Clyden. He held it out near Malve, and she took the palm of her hand and placed it on the edge blade. With a quick downward motion, she sliced open the palm of her hand. Her blood was white, infused with magic as it escaped from the cut, turning to bright red when it touched the surface of the table. Malve placed the hand with the bleeding gash to the Eye of Bane. When she removed her hand, the stone absorbed the blood like sand in a desert with water. It was done. The slash in her hand mended instantly. She sat down heavily and sighed, Malve had bonded to the Eye of Bane, and she could feel just an echo of Varoosh.


    One by one, the remaining magi picked up the sword and poured their essences into Bane, repeating what Malve did. Clyden was the last to go. Immediately after his blood was absorbed by the stone, a small slit lit up on the cover of the compendium. It was the keyhole, the release of the compound lock holding all the secrets to Varoosh¡¯s magic. They all sat there in silence.


    ¡°Do you think he will look the same? It has been 400 years,¡± Servan said, breaking the silence. The hostilities in his demeanor earlier seem to vanish at the notion he was about to get his friend back.


    ¡°I think Varoosh is going to berate us for how long it took us to get him back,¡± Lizbeth said back to Servan before turning her gaze to Malve. ¡°But we may have to wait another hundred years to see him once he gets back, eh Malve,¡± she teased her friend.


    ¡°150 years minimum,¡± Malve said embarrassingly in an awkward tone, her face turning red as she averted her eyes shyly away from her friends. For a brief instant, there was silence, and then all four of them erupted in rare laughter.


    ¡°Shall we open it?¡± Clyden asked, refocusing their attention back on the task. Malve, would you like to open the lock?¡± he asked Malve, offering her the sword.


    ¡°No, it should be you, Clyden. It shames me, but you are the one who never gave up on finding Varoosh. Besides, I will be somewhat satisfied with my 150 years,¡± Malve said with a small grin. The others nodded their heads in agreement while smiling at what she said.


    ¡°Very well then,¡± Clyden said. Servan stood and picked up the compendium and carried it over to Clyden, laying the book in front of him. The others got up from their chairs and moved to stand behind Clyden, each one of the Magi placing a hand on his shoulder. Clyden took Bane and turned the point of the sword towards the slit in the book. The light in the slit grew brighter as Bane approached closer. When the sword tip reached the slit, sparks erupted from the keyhole, and lightning arched up the blade stopping at the crossguard. Clyden pushed the sword in further; it was as if the book absorbed the sword, the pages on the side turned to a bluish-white color. There was never wind in the Fade Realm, but the book roared like a storm. The compendium swallowed sword quickly like a drunk lusting for wine, only leaving the Eye of Bane on the outside of the book. <i>The stone looks like a knob to a door. </i>In reflex to his thought, he grabbed the stone and twisted it as if opening a door.


    The storm raging a moment before instantly vanished. The pages ceased to be bluish white. Its black leather cover changed in appearance. It went from just being blank and all black. The corners of the compendium were now decorated in gold leaf and the leather moved as if it was breathing. At moments, the cover seemed textured, switching randomly and quickly to different animated pictures. There was a dragon flying across the sky, a bird landing in a tree, followed by children running through a field. The book morphed from one scene to another fluidly and effortlessly.


    ¡°I have never seen anything like this before,¡± Lizbeth said. ¡°The way the cover changes. It is amazing. When did Varoosh create such a thing?¡±


    ¡°Well, let us ask him,¡± Clyden said as he pulled Bane from the book. The sword¡¯s blade was no longer a dull color, but it was polished brightly. ¡°Servan the scabbard, if you would please.¡± Clyden handed Bane to Servan. Bane radiated with new life, and the runes were now clearly visible. Servan slid Bane into the scabbard, causing golden runes to appear on the leather. At the top of the scabbard, there was a grouping of runes he had never seen before.


    ¡°Do you know what this says, Lizbeth?¡± Servan asked Lizbeth, handing her the scabbard.


    ¡°I have never seen these before,¡± Lizbeth said. Her brows furrowed as she inspected them, turning the scabbard over in her hands to see if there were any more of the strange unknown symbols she did not know. ¡°What could it mean? Are these letters? Something new?¡± Lizbeth asked herself aloud in rapid succession. ¡°I have never seen these before. Another question for Varoosh when he is back,¡± Lizbeth shaking her head, concluded to the rest.


    With that statement, Clyden opened the book and was visibly relieved when he saw words on the first page. What he did not expect to see all were all five of their names to appear in the book. Malve Hartswood, Servan Arlaman, Lizbeth Ratoval, Clyden Dergoz, and Varoosh Sanc were written in gold letters. He turned to the next page, and it was blank. Clyden turned another page, and it was blank as well. He opened it randomly, choosing a place well into the middle of the book, and yet another blank page stared back at him. With a long-winded sigh of disgust, Clyden sat down in his chair and pushed the book away. Each of them took a turn picking up the book and flipping through the blank pages.


    ¡°It must be locked still,¡± Clyden said, a tone defeat in his voice.


    ¡°Clyden, something did happen,¡± Lizbeth said, attempting to lift Clyden¡¯s spirit. ¡°Maybe there is another lock that we do not know about. Look, the first page isn¡¯t blank anymore.¡±


    ¡°Maybe whatever this is, the final lock,¡± Servan said, pointing to the several runes on Bane¡¯s scabbard no one ever seen before.


    Malve took the book in her hands while the others theorized what to do next. The cover of the book changed again in her hands, turning into a scene of a ship at sea, the waves slowly breaking on its hull. <i>Why does the cover of the book change randomly? What are you trying to tell us, Varoosh,</i> Malve ponder? The cover of the book shifted again, and for a moment, Malve swore what she saw was an image of her with a hand touching her cheek. Something tugged at her memory, but before she could delve any further, the cover of the book shifted again. This time it was a stream. She opened the book to the first page. Malve touched each person¡¯s name with her finger.  When she got to Varoosh¡¯s name, she touched it fondly and longingly said his name out loud, ¡°Varoosh.¡± A light emitted from the book pages violently, blinding them. Malve dropped the book out of reflex. Varoosh¡¯s name in the book turned black. When her vision returned, she saw Clyden holding the book. He was flipping the pages frantically.


    ¡°What did you do? The pages are full now,¡± Clyden said excitedly. The others got out of their chairs, surrounding him, pressing him from the sides, trying to get as close to the book as possible.


    Malve tried exactly to remember what she did. ¡°I was just looking at the cover, then I opened it, and I was touching Varoosh¡¯s name and said his name. Then a bright light happened,¡± Malve recounted to them. Lizbeth took the book from Clyden¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Servan,¡± Lizbeth said, and nothing happened. Lizbeth touched Servan¡¯s name this time ¡°Servan,¡± the same bright light occurred. This time Lizbeth was ready for it; she had turned her head away. The others did not anticipate this and were rubbing the sight back into their eyes with the fingers or the palms of their hands.


    ¡°A little warning!¡± Servan started to say.


    ¡°Clyden,¡± Lizbeth said. The same bright light appeared, and groans from her counterparts ensued. ¡°Oh, I am sorry, but I know how the book works.¡±


    ¡°We all know how it works now,¡± Servan groaned. ¡°Can you tell me how to make my eyes work properly again?¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Lizbeth said sullenly.


    ¡°Give me that, before you blind us all for life,¡± Clyden said jokily, taking the book from Lizbeth, hastily laying it down in front of him. He touched Varoosh¡¯s name. ¡°Turn away now,¡± Clyden warned them, ¡°Varoosh.¡± The bright light flashed once more. This time everyone was ready for it. Clyden began to turn the pages, and he noticed these pages were written in Varoosh¡¯s hand. Clyden continued to turn the pages. It was like a diary, a collective of Varoosh¡¯s life and memories. As he skimmed from page to page, Clyden recognized some of the stories. Clyden skipped about half the thickness of the book, and spells started to show up. On the page, there was a spell to turn ice into fire. He flipped more pages and saw other spells he did not know. He would have to return later to look at when he had time, Clyden thought to himself as he kept turning pages.


    ¡°This is the spell I helped with to make an egg hatch instantly,¡± Lizbeth said, stopping Clyden from turning the page.


    ¡°This spell turns one¡¯s tongue black for a month for speaking falsely,¡± Servan said pointing at a spell on the opposite page. The others looked at him with befuddlement. ¡°Well, it was meant for Malve.¡± Malve expression was rife with surprise. ¡°What? It was during that time when Varoosh wanted to know how you felt about him. You were giving him mixed signals.¡± Malve face started to become indignant. Servan quickly assisted in turning the page.


    The spells ranged in difficulty from simple to complex. There were ones they worked on together, some they had never seen before. They kept flipping the pages in search of the only spell that mattered right now. All four magi had to have been there for hours, flipping through the pages of the massive compendium. The weird thing was, even after flipping through half the book, it still seemed they were only at the halfway point of the book. The compendium was inexhaustible. Lizbeth, at some point, theorized the compendium collected every spell Varoosh ever cast. The book somehow managed to capture moments important to Varoosh, which explained all the stories at the beginning of the book. Lizbeth wondered if their names were also volumes in this book, and somehow, the compendium horded all their memories and spells. It was something to be checked on later, after they located what they sought. Finally, after hours of searching, Clyden found what they sought.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    ¡°This is it,¡± Clyden announced. On the page, there was a diagram of a giant circle with four little circles drawn on the outside. Lines extended from three of the four circles to a fifth circle centered inside of the giant circle containing Varoosh¡¯s name. Each of their names appeared in one of the circles. Varoosh¡¯s handwriting dotted the page randomly with notes and instructions. Lizbeth took the book from Clyden¡¯s hands, studying the spell intently. Something sparked in her mind. In front of Lizbeth appeared an inkwell and quill. Lizbeth copied the pages from the book onto a conjured piece of parchment even though she had a photographic memory.


    ¡°This spell of summoning isn¡¯t complete or isn¡¯t right. Something is off with it,¡± Lizbeth said to her friends.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Servan asked.


    ¡°Just a moment,¡± Lizbeth said, flipping back to the first page. Touching her name, ¡°Lizbeth,¡± she said without any warning again, causing her friends to gripe in unison as they were blinded again. ¡°Sorry, I forgot,¡± Lizbeth apologized, holding the compendium while flipping pages, skipping large chunks of pages. ¡°It is like I thought. Somehow this compendium has managed to rip from us our thoughts and the memories that impacted our lives the most. Fascinating! I can¡¯t wait to ask Varoosh how this is possible.¡±


    ¡°Focus, Lizbeth,¡± Malve said pointedly. ¡°You said something is off about the summoning spell. What is it?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, just give me a moment. The summoning spell was missing the catalysts needed. I helped him, inadvertently of course, with this,¡± Lizbeth said, skipping large portions sections of the book related to her, only glancing at the pages briefly to determine if it was the information she sought. ¡°I am quite certain about what is needed, but I want to be sure. It was just a theory. Mind you, when I helped Varoosh with this. Ah, there it is,¡± glancing at the page as a flame flared around her, engulfing her momentarily, and she left the Fade Realm. The book she was holding fell with a thud to the table.


    ¡°She left?!¡± Servan said, looking at where the book dropped on the table. The remaining three looked at each other, confused as to Lizbeth¡¯s sudden departure. Before any of them could voice any follow-up questions, a plain oak door appeared. The joints on the door cracked as it opened, and several large sacks were thrown through the door.


    ¡°That¡¯s the salt!¡± Lizbeth shouted from the other side.


    ¡°Lizbeth?¡± Clyden asked as he was walking towards the door. Lizbeth stepped through the door, and it vanished just as another was appearing. It was plated in gold and carved on the door was the image of a dragon. Lizbeth opened the golden door, spilling sunlight into her library. Lizbeth ran through the door. The three remaining in the Fade Realm walked towards the golden door. A rounded giant bone was heaved through the door, forcing them all to dodge instinctively. It clunkily rolled before falling over. The bone was a colossal sun-bleached vertebra of a dragon and was milky white, almost like polished jade. There was a powerful aura radiating from it. The bones of powerful magical creatures often were used as catalysts in spells. Lizbeth ran through the door covered in soot, slamming the door as flames tried to leak through the closing crack before vanishing. She wiped the soot from her shoulders. Malve helped her dust it from her hair.


    ¡°Well, that is everything we need,¡± Lizbeth said, clapping the dust from her hands.


    ¡°Everything?¡± Servan asked, tilting the giant dragon vertebrae on its side, letting it rest on his hip.


    ¡°Oh, can you grind the bone to the consistency of flour? You have to do it without the use of magic, also,¡± Lizbeth told Servan. Servan looked at her questioningly, patting the smooth, jade-like pale bone lying against his hip.


    Clyden took note of Servan¡¯s expression, ¡°I will help you with the grinding Servan,¡± Clyden said. The door Clyden used to enter the Fade the first time reappeared, and he stepped through it. Servan vanished from the Fade as Lizbeth did earlier, swallowed by flames. Servan, no longer being projected in the Fade left the dragon vertebra without any support, and it fell over with a loud thud on the floor. Another door appeared quickly, and Servan walked through it. Servan walked over to the dragon bone and tilted the vertebrae back on its side and kicked it. The dragon bone clunkily rolled through the door Clyden created. ¡°This is the Kingdom of Loudas,¡± you could faintly hear Clyden explaining to Servan before the door closed.


    ¡°Is there anything I can help with?¡± Malve asked.


    ¡°Yes, before you step out, I need you to draw the ritual diagram on the ground. We will use it as a template to lay the salts and bone dust over it,¡± Lizbeth instructed as she handed the parchment she copied before to Malve.


    ¡°OK,¡± Malve said, studying the parchment carefully. Malve looked at one of the tall columns and visualized a winding staircase leading up one of them. It manifested, and she ascended the newly formed stairs. When she reached the top, Malve looked down at the floor. ¡°Lizbeth, you are in the way,¡± she told her. Lizbeth did not respond to Malve¡¯s request; she was sitting in her chair at the table, holding the compendium, and lost to the vast wealth it contained. ¡°Lizbeth!¡± Malve said again. With no response from Lizbeth, Malve sighed, and she deconstructed the table in front of her and still did not get Lizbeth¡¯s attention. A wry smile crossed Malve¡¯s face, and the chairs and table vanished.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Lizbeth squealed as she fell to the floor. She stood up, rubbing her rear end. ¡°Why did you do that for?¡±


    ¡°You will never change, Lizbeth. I did ask twice for you to move,¡± Malve said, suppressing her laughter.


    ¡°Oh, sorry. At least put the chairs back, Malve?¡± Lizbeth asked with an apologetic and embarrassed tone.


    ¡°OK,¡± Malve said. Three chairs materialized, followed by a red chaise lounge. Lizbeth beamed with delight. ¡°Consider that, my apology.¡±


    ¡°Oh, and can you make me a night shroud about three times the size of the book?¡± Lizbeth requested as she jumped into the chaise and proceeded to make herself comfortable. The night shroud cloth appeared, and it dropped onto Lizbeth¡¯s head, ¡°Hey!¡± Night shroud cloth had the unique ability to absorb all light so long as the source of the light was behind it.


    ¡°Move Clyden¡¯s thaum will you?¡± Malve said, pointing to Witch Devil.


    Malve smiled at Lizbeth, protesting under the shroud. The two of them shared a complicated past, the same could be said of all the magi and their individual relationships with each other. Malve and Lizbeth once were enemies at one point, and after hundreds of years, they became like sisters. The endless adventures the two shared were some of her fondest memories. Lizbeth would drag her to the far reaches of the land in search of her books, or Malve would drag her to some hidden or lost city for exploration.  They all were once like family, and when Varoosh vanished, everything between the four of them changed. Malve pulled away from her friends. In truth, they all pulled away from each other. Clyden and Servan fought with each other constantly. Mainly due to Clyden¡¯s relentless search for how to bring Varoosh back. Servan wanted to move on and forget Varoosh, while Clyden was annoyingly searching and continuously beseeching the other magi for help. When they all gave up, Clyden never did. It was painful to be around Clyden and his obsessive quest to bring Varoosh home. <i>Varoosh, Clyden found you, he looked for you for 110 years and found you,</i> Malve thought to herself guiltily for giving up. Malve silently thanked Clyden in her head for returning hope to them. They were all going to be a family again.


    ¡°Exactly as shown, Malve. No mistakes,¡± Lizbeth said.


    ¡°It will be as you say, I have done this before,¡± Malve retorted.


    Now that the room was cleared of obstructions Malve had enough room to work. Malve visualized the outline of the larger circle in her mind, and it slowly began to appear. One could conjure something as complex as a dragon instantly in the Fade, but when it came to powerful magical rituals, it could take hours just to lay a diagram. After a while, she finished the large circle. Malve looked at the parchment to get the locations of the smaller circles attached along the edge of the larger circle. The smaller circles would have rested at the north, south, east, and west points on a compass. They appeared in tandem, one after the other, until all four circles were perfectly spaced. The fifth small circle was in the center of the larger circle. Next, the lines connecting three smaller circles on the outside to the inner circle except for the northern circle were drawn. Below the northern circle on the parchment were summoning runes drawn, covering half of the circle. The runes began to appear on the floor. Malve worked diligently, making sure it was correct. When she was satisfied, she descended the winding staircase down the column. She walked over to the chaise lounge and moved Lizbeth¡¯s legs. She sat down, sighing, ¡°Finished.¡±


    ¡°Took you long enough,¡± Lizbeth said sternly.


    ¡°Well, you could have done all this before you projected yourself out the first time, you know,¡± Malve said back. A person physically entering the Fade could not manipulate things on a whim as someone projected in. They would have to wait several days before they could project themselves back in. Malve was the only one left projected in, so she would wait until the last moments to enter physically in case they needed anything else conjured.


    ¡°I did not think about that. Besides, I had to do important research,¡± Lizbeth said.


    ¡°Research?¡± Malve asked. There was something in the way Lizbeth had said ¡®important research¡¯ that raised flags inside her. Malve looked at the night shroud cloth and a moment of clarity registered in her. ¡°You book rat, you have been using the shroud to cover up the light as you switch from person to person in the book,¡± Malve accused Lizbeth as she leaned over trying to see the page Lizbeth was reading. Lizbeth closed the book with her finger still marking the page. ¡°What are you up?¡± she demanded.


    ¡°Book rat!¡± Lizbeth said, trying to sound indignant. ¡°It is research!¡± hiding her face behind the book.


    Malve knew Lizbeth all too well; she knew Lizbeth was smiling behind the book. Malve pulled at the large compendium, uncovering and exposing Lizbeth¡¯s mischievous smile. Now she knew something was up. ¡°Let me see this ¡®research,¡¯¡± Malve demanded, reaching for the book again.


    ¡°No!¡± Lizbeth said, panicking now. Lizbeth was trying to sit up now, but before she could, shackles suddenly appeared around her wrists and feet. A solid bar appeared around her waist, securing Lizbeth to the chaise. She dropped the book.


    Malve picked the compendium up and opened it, and started to read it. The book was set to her volume. Malve looked daggers at Lizbeth before asking, ¡°What were you researching?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t remember,¡± Lizbeth feigned forgetfully.


    ¡°Your memory is perfect, Lizbeth,¡± Malve touted back.


    Lizbeth smiled devilishly, and then teasingly began to recite what she read in the book from memory, ¡°¡®I do not know when I noticed Varoosh¡¯s strong shoulders. His eyes are like fire rubies. His lips are soft and sweet.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± Malve said loudly, leaping on top of her and covering her mouth with both hands, her face turning completely red. Lizbeth¡¯s muffled laughter only made her blush even more. ¡°I ought to leave you locked up like that,¡± Malve threatened her as she returned to where she was sitting in the chair.


    ¡°I am happy for you though, we have all missed him,¡± Lizbeth said to Malve, soothing the mood. ¡°You are about to get Varoosh¡¯s soft lips back,¡± she laughed. Malve shook her head, and she laughed like she had not in a long time.


    ¡°Do not think you will get away so easily,¡± Malve said menacingly, laughing as she started to tickle Lizbeth¡¯s sides in revenge. The restraints on Lizbeth prevented her from escaping. Lizbeth tried to twist and fend off Malve as much as possible, but it was useless.


    A door appeared, and Servan walked through it. Servan carried a sack over his right shoulder. It was the dragon bone dust needed for the spell. ¡°It was nice of King Ledan; do you think his son will like the¡­¡± Servan trailed off from saying. Servan came to a complete standstill in the doorway, his jaw dropping, and he was astounded at what he was seeing. Malve was on top of Lizbeth, who was wearing shackles and with a metal ban over her waist, strapping her to a chaise lounge. The two women looked at Servan, and in an instant, the restraints on Lizbeth vanished. Both sat up meekly in the chaise now, as if nothing was going on.